Get Your Gut in Gear to Feel Great

Your gastrointestinal system (aka your gut), which includes your intestines and other parts of the digestive tract, doesn’t just break down food and call it a day. It impacts practically every area and function of your body, making it a core — if not the core — of your overall wellness.

1. Feed the good bugs.
   Think of it as creating an environment that will grow flowers versus weeds, says Harrison, who specializes in GI issues. The best way to promote the growth of healthy microbes is to eat whole plant foods high in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. The soluble, or “prebiotic,” fiber found in onions, garlic, bananas, whole grains and sunchokes might be especially helpful. Either way, Harrison says you could notice a difference in your symptoms within days of making dietary changes.
   
2. Cut the crap.
   “Highly processed foods and meat-heavy diets promote the growth of harmful microbes,” says Harrison. “They’ve done fascinating studies on the association between the processed American diet, which might include frozen pizza, hot dogs and soft drinks, and levels of anxiety and depression,” she says. The lack of fiber and other nutrients basically starves the good bugs, letting the bad ones gain traction.
   
   If you’re going to eat meat, go for organic, grass-fed cuts from local suppliers (or the best quality you can afford) and pair it with whole grains, legumes and vegetables to make sure you’re getting plenty of healthy fiber and other plant-based nutrients, says Harrison.
   
3. Find your Zen.
   “When we’re stressed, our bodies produce adrenaline, which creates an environment that supports the nonproductive bugs,” says Harrison. That overgrowth of bad bugs can make you feel even more stressed or anxious. Improving your ability to stay present will help you handle all kinds of tension better. Try a few minutes of meditation and work your way up, or take a walk outdoors, recommends Harrison.
   
4. Add to the community.
   Whereas prebiotics feed the bugs, probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria that help maintain balance in the gut. There are tons of probiotic-rich foods and drinks — kimchi, miso and kombucha, for example — and the thinking is that regularly incorporating them into your diet (aim for one serving every day) can boost gut health. So far, yogurt and kefir, a fermented milk drink similar to yogurt, have the strongest research where your GI tract is concerned, says Kim Kulp, a registered dietitian and the owner of Gut Health Connection in the San Francisco Bay Area.
   
5. Get more shut-eye.
   “If you don’t sleep well, it can cause an unfavorable shift in the balance of bugs in your GI tract and you can start craving foods that are going to feed these now dominant pathogenic bugs,” says Harrison. That, as the cycle goes, “then makes sleep more difficult.” Most adults need seven to nine hours of shut-eye a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Even if you feel rested, for your gut’s sake, don’t skimp.
   
6. Sweat it out.
   Regular exercise, especially the aerobic kind, seems to create a more favorable microbiome, which then has positive effects on the brain, per an animal study published in “PLOS One.” There’s no set exercise recommendation for gut health — yet — but there is plenty of research showing the benefits of accumulating at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week (half that amount if it’s vigorous), along with at least two days of strength training.

If all these tips sound a little familiar, they should. The things that tend to improve your overall health also help keep your gut humming along. Focus on those and you’ll do right by your belly, body and brain.